Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Since 2007, the country and financial sector have faced an extraordinary economic crisis. Countless banks have failed and many more continue to struggle. However, Umpqua Bank has emerged from the crisis stronger than before. Drawing on Umpqua’s unique culture and approach to leadership, Leading for Success shows business leaders in any industry how to build successful companies in even the most challenging times.

Chapters include:

It’s a Different World: A new set of principles that will help leaders prepare themselves and their people to capitalize on the tremendous opportunities that are possible as we emerge from the recent economic crisis.

The Truth, Nothing But The Truth: Why the truth demonstrates respect and inspires trust.

Motivate & Inspire: The essence of leadership.

Control & Uncertainty: Worry about the things you can control and prepare for what you can’t.

Revolutions & Panics: How do we react to more and faster change without panic, rather finding a long-term perspective?

Value of a Value Proposition: How do you compete? Is it on price or something more?

It’s All About Your Customers: What are you doing to set yourself apart?

Reputation Counts: How to become a unique organizations within your industry

Problems & The Healing Process: How to get a problem on the table and deal with it so the healing process can begin.

Create Buzz: Traditional advertising is dead. So how do you get other people to spread the word about your company for you?

Leverage Your Assets: Sell it, shut it, or scale it.

Be Available: Understand the power of a flat organization and listen to your customers and your people.

Pay Attention to the Details: Keep Sweating the Small Stuff

While it’s impossible to predict exactly what the next 10 years will look like, there is no doubt they will be an era of rapid change, presenting extraordinary opportunities for innovation and growth – and challenging business leaders to lead differently. Applying the lessons in Leading for Success will help any leaders at any level to help his or her team leverage the opportunities ahead.

Synopsis:

"Ray and his colleagues have remained true to their values, their belief system, their distinctive point of view about what their company could be and the role it could play in their customers' lives. In a book filled with powerful insights, pragmatic takeaways, and colorful stories, this to me is Ray's ultimate lesson, and one that applies in good times and tough times."

—From the Foreword by William C. Taylor

In Leading Through Uncertainty, Umpqua Bank CEO Ray Davis shares the essential leadership strategies that have allowed the West Coast's largest independent community bank to emerge from the economic crisis even stronger than before.

It's no secret that the Great Recession has deeply affected many businesses and industries, including banking. Yet by focusing on a clear set of best practices and core values, leaders can create opportunity and growth. Here, Davis outlines his strategies, providing a set of actions that will help leaders recalibrate their approaches when faced with industry or market upheaval.

Using his own experiences as well as those of other pioneering leaders, Davis describes a concise set of smart, actionable leadership strategies that anyone can use to navigate businesses and teams through difficult times. These include focusing on honesty and transparency, motivating and inspiring employees, building an outstanding corporate reputation, and paying attention to the details, among others.

The results are clear: despite years of global economic uncertainty, Umpqua has continued its upward trajectory, expanding from five locations in 1994 to more than two hundred today. By showing leaders how to maintain a clear value proposition and strong, proactive leadership, Leading Through Uncertainty will help any company secure a lasting foothold in any economy.

Synopsis:

Praise for Leading Through Uncertainty

"I've always believed that great leaders know when to stay the course, adjust, and reinvent. Ray Davis articulates this and much more in Leading Through Uncertainty, helping leaders understand the importance of outlining a vision and strategy. Ray's smart and practical thoughts on leadership provide great insight, and leaders at all levels will benefit from reading this book."

—John Chambers, chairman and CEO, Cisco

"Ray Davis understands the complexities of leading effectively regardless of the economic environment. The advice in Leading Through Uncertainty is excellent and will improve both your leadership skills and results."

—Tim Boyle, president and CEO, Columbia Sportswear

"Ray Davis's Leading Through Uncertainty is thoughtful, insightful, and—perhaps most importantly—fundamentally practical. For those who want to make a difference in their organization, this is a must-read."

—Diana Oreck, vice president, Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center

"Not many organizations' CEOs can say that their company has emerged from the economic environment of the past few years stronger than they were before it began. Ray Davis can. In Leading Through Uncertainty, he shares the real-world insight and business practices that today's leaders need to navigate the uncertainty and opportunity of the twenty-first-century economy."

—Gary Hamel, author, What Matters Now

"Ray Davis is that rare combination: a visionary with the straightforward voice of a pragmatist. He understands that today's companies must be flexible, transparent, and customer-centric, and Leading Through Uncertainty provides a clear roadmap on how to get there for anyone in a leadership position."

About the Author

Ray Davis is president and CEO of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, parent company of Umpqua Bank. He has been recognized in numerous national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fast Company, BusinessWeek, Newsweek, and CNBC, and is the author of Leading for Growth (Jossey-Bass). Davis has been recognized as one of high finance's twenty-five most influential people by U.S. Banker Magazine. He lives with his wife in Portland, Oregon.

"Synopsis"
by Wiley,
"Ray and his colleagues have remained true to their values, their belief system, their distinctive point of view about what their company could be and the role it could play in their customers' lives. In a book filled with powerful insights, pragmatic takeaways, and colorful stories, this to me is Ray's ultimate lesson, and one that applies in good times and tough times."

—From the Foreword by William C. Taylor

In Leading Through Uncertainty, Umpqua Bank CEO Ray Davis shares the essential leadership strategies that have allowed the West Coast's largest independent community bank to emerge from the economic crisis even stronger than before.

It's no secret that the Great Recession has deeply affected many businesses and industries, including banking. Yet by focusing on a clear set of best practices and core values, leaders can create opportunity and growth. Here, Davis outlines his strategies, providing a set of actions that will help leaders recalibrate their approaches when faced with industry or market upheaval.

Using his own experiences as well as those of other pioneering leaders, Davis describes a concise set of smart, actionable leadership strategies that anyone can use to navigate businesses and teams through difficult times. These include focusing on honesty and transparency, motivating and inspiring employees, building an outstanding corporate reputation, and paying attention to the details, among others.

The results are clear: despite years of global economic uncertainty, Umpqua has continued its upward trajectory, expanding from five locations in 1994 to more than two hundred today. By showing leaders how to maintain a clear value proposition and strong, proactive leadership, Leading Through Uncertainty will help any company secure a lasting foothold in any economy.

"Synopsis"
by Wiley,
Praise for Leading Through Uncertainty

"I've always believed that great leaders know when to stay the course, adjust, and reinvent. Ray Davis articulates this and much more in Leading Through Uncertainty, helping leaders understand the importance of outlining a vision and strategy. Ray's smart and practical thoughts on leadership provide great insight, and leaders at all levels will benefit from reading this book."

—John Chambers, chairman and CEO, Cisco

"Ray Davis understands the complexities of leading effectively regardless of the economic environment. The advice in Leading Through Uncertainty is excellent and will improve both your leadership skills and results."

—Tim Boyle, president and CEO, Columbia Sportswear

"Ray Davis's Leading Through Uncertainty is thoughtful, insightful, and—perhaps most importantly—fundamentally practical. For those who want to make a difference in their organization, this is a must-read."

—Diana Oreck, vice president, Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center

"Not many organizations' CEOs can say that their company has emerged from the economic environment of the past few years stronger than they were before it began. Ray Davis can. In Leading Through Uncertainty, he shares the real-world insight and business practices that today's leaders need to navigate the uncertainty and opportunity of the twenty-first-century economy."

—Gary Hamel, author, What Matters Now

"Ray Davis is that rare combination: a visionary with the straightforward voice of a pragmatist. He understands that today's companies must be flexible, transparent, and customer-centric, and Leading Through Uncertainty provides a clear roadmap on how to get there for anyone in a leadership position."

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